Extinction incarnate
by Ascension1
Summary: This story evolves around the twelve Universes introduced in BOG. It starts with the arrival of the cyborgs at Kame House. Only difference: Goku's recovery has taken longer than in the original manga. He has no other choice than to face the Androids without his trip to the ROSAT.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

* * *

Seventh Universe; Somewhere in west Galaxy; Age 767; May 14; 9:30 PM.

"You are a fool Takashi! I can not believe that you are still following that little doll after all!". The voice of the demon echoed loudly and caused disturbance under the people nearby. The variety of reactions reached from strange looks, to people leaving in fear because of the infuriated shouting.

Nevertheless the addressed one kept his calmness. Takashi brushed some dust from his battle armor and turned around to face his combatant Susumu. The back-armor emblem glowed even more through the sunset lighting than usual. The royal star is a sign of pride and competence, only worn by the Elite Guard, or the royal Family of the old Empire itself.

"I served the Toyoko Empire for centuries, and it will stay that way. I am obliged to protect the royal family until I die. That's my destiny, it always has been, and  
always will be. We shall rebuild it to old greatness." Takashi answered.

"Oh that's your great plan? huh? First running away like the dog you are, and now pretending to be the honorable, loyal fighter?". Susumu clenched his fists in anger and frustration over his stubborn companion.

Finally Takashi realized the seriousness of Susumu's anger. He raised his hand to put it on to the other warriors shoulder."I am warning you Susumu. You may be my friend, but I am also your superior. Don't forget that I saved your life too." Takashi replied slowly.

Susumu shook Takashi's arm off and took a step backwards, not knowing if he could hold himself back much longer. "Just think about it. The old times are gone, we should take over NOW! You and me. No one could stop us. WE.. don't.. need... her. She is the remaining eyesore of our past, the ultimate symbol of all the years of oppression."

* * *

 **Flashback:**

* * *

The Toyoko Empire was the most influential dictatorship in the second Universe. It ruled over the majority of the galaxies for several million years. The Toyoko family is a small group of mutated beings, very similar to the Cold family in the seventh Universe. In addition to great potential, DNA manipulation resulted to forming some of the most powerful entities known to the Universe. The royal Guards are a collection of the most skilled and powerful fighters scattered over the Universe. Some of them managed to rival, or even surpass members of the royal family in terms of power.

Takashi and Susumu are part of the "Dardarians", a very ancient, demon-like race with a huge fighting tradition. The Empire met it's end when it grew overconfident, a disrespecting gesture towards the god of destruction of the second Universe was enough to cause an unbelievable massacre at the royal palace. Takashi knew that it was foolish to fight against a monstrosity like this. He decided to escape with the princess as the only heir to the throne left, and his second in command: Susumu.

Takashi used a special, untested device to travel to an other Universe, as he figured that the god of destruction couldn't follow him, because he would have to leave  
his area of responsibility in order to reach him. Unable to recharge their device, the remnants of the old Empire plan their Conquest to gain control over the Seventh Universe.

* * *

"This conversation is finished!" Yelled Takashi, loosing his calmness for the first time since the beginning of their verbal exchange. "We are meeting up with princess Keira inside this building. Follow me, this is an order!" The higher ranked warrior commanded. Takashi turned around and slowly walked across the car park, waiting for his assistants reaction.

Susumu growled something in anger, but obeyed his order. Catching up to the Elite he pointed out: "A club isn't a proper location to discuss our plans either."

Relieved that Susumu actually followed him, Takashi started to speed up a little. "You are wrong. Firstly: We won't draw any attention to us, since everyone is occupied with different affairs, like drinking or dancing. Secondly: It doesn't matter if someone hears us. We are still the most powerful beings in this Universe... Besides,  
the princess wants to refresh herself with a drink." Takashi muttered the last part of his sentence, being not very pleased with that part of his reasoning himself.

The demon opened the door of the main entrance and immediately a brick wall of loud music hit them. Takashi has never experienced something like this, all people in a good mood celebrating in close space together. Despite the uncomfortable heat and the jostling, he enjoyed the situation. _'I heard about these clubs, but it is certainly different to actually_ _visit one yourself. How can one be so cheerful, when life is such a fierce struggle for_ _survival.'_

"We have to get to the bar upstairs." Takashi said, slowly returning from his thoughts.

"Positive." Susumu stated, while he pushed a kissing pair out of his way, causing a woman to fall to the ground with a painful cry.

"Here are the stairs." Takashi pointed out, leading the way to the second floor. "She has to be here, can you locate her?" Takashi asked.

"I can see her. She is at the bar, right side." Susumu said, trying to disguise the hate in his voice as much as he could.

"Got it."

Both warriors worked their way through the crowd to their princess. When they reached her, Takashi promptly bowed to show his respect. "My majesty, we are here to share the information our research revealed." Realizing that his comrade was still standing, he elbowed to his side to force Susumu on his knees.

"Don't overdo it." The later whispered in pain, rubbing his side.

The princess still didn't bother to turn around to face her henchmen. She sipped at her cup and asked. "What do you have for me?"

"It appears that Lord Frieza and King Cold are dead indeed, there is no one in this Universe who could frustrate our Conquest." Takashi assured.

"Really?" Keira asked surprised. She turned around to muster her soldiers. The princess brushed some hair out of her face and directed her hand thoughtfully to her chin. "Who was capable of doing that?"

"A so called super-saiyajin, my majesty. This being killed Cold and Frieza. Fortunately for us he was also killed due to the planets destruction, when the fight occurred. Rumors also imply that his powerlevel was over 100 million, which translates to roughly 9700 Toro in our calculating system."

"That's almost respectable." Keira snickered. She left her seat and walked past her subordinates, stretching her limbs and showing off her trained body in  
the light royal armor, she wore.

 _'That smug brat... I will eventually find a way...with_ _or without Takashi!_ ' Susumu thought.

"Thats not everything. I also found out of the existence of the namekian wishing orbs. They possess the power to grant every wish imaginable.  
As your tactical adviser, I suggest to seek them first and wish for some kind of infinite power for you, majesty. We can continue our conquest after that." Takashi reported.

"I like the sound of that, I can definitely see why my father gave you the job. You know your stuff, don't you?"

The Elite warrior didn't know how to reply to that. He finally broke the silence. "Follow me. I already organized a ship, I also got the coordinates of our destination: New Namek."

The trio left the club, making their way to the spacecraft. Susumu never left his dear princess out of sight. His stare composed of pure determination. _'No you won't! I am not going to be the Empires puppet any longer! I will personally take you witch down!'_


	2. Long Awaited Face Off

**Chapter 1: Long Awaited Face Off**

* * *

Seventh Universe; Earth; Age 767; May 16; 9:00 AM

Despite turbulent times, the Z-Warriors found some time to rest at Kame House. The peaceful silence could give the impression that today was just another day. Cell's terror hadn't carried over to the idyllic island yet.

 _'I can't believe that he slipped away! We don't know where the cyborgs are...if he only_ _manages to absorb one of them, we are done for. I don't know whether I could forgive myself or not,_ _if that happens. His escape was my fault in the end.'_ Piccolo sat in front of the TV, eagerly switching through the channels in hope to get any hints on Cell.  
"Damn, still nothing." Piccolo said to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling noise behind him. The namekian instantly turned around in shock, only to face a dozy Krillin rubbing his eyes.

"Everything alright? You look like you have seen a ghost." Krillin yawned.

"Perfectly fine, Krillin." Piccolo rumbled sarcastically, trying to gather his mind again. "Our situation couldn't be better? Don't you think?" He added frustrated, because of the bald warriors bluntness.

"We have been in tough spots before...Remember the arrival of the saiyajins, or Namek? We just have to keep it together. I am sure Goku has a plan."

"You are wrong. You completely misjudge the position we're in." Piccolo explained. "We are not facing one, like in Friezas case, but four extremely powerful villains. Three of them even can't be sensed, and the other one is an expert at disguising his power. This also plays out on Earth and not on a a hardly populated planet like namek is. On top of that Vegeta and Trunks disappeared, and your superhero is still lying in bed with a heart disea..." Piccolo was interrupted by an all to familiar voice.

"Kamehame..."

"Is this really happening now?" Krillin laughed in disbelieve.

The namekian and earthling ran to the window, to have a look at the person the voice came from.

"HA!" Goku shouted, releasing his famous signature attack. The powerful beam rushed over the water surface, splitting it in half.

"It's really him!" Krillin exclaimed joyfully.

* * *

In the meantime the Androids made their way to Kame House.

"You think, he'll be there?" 18 said slightly annoyed.

"Don't know. Maybe." 17 answered plainly.

18 raised an eyebrow. "This is starting to get on my nerves. First this ridiculously long road trip straight through the forest, and now this. I've seen nothing but water for the last 20 minutes. At least we're actually flying, and not taking a boat..." The blonde muttered mockingly.

17 shrugged. "It was fun." A dirty grin forming on his face. "More fun, than watching you trying out clothes for two hours."

The woman sighed. 'This kid...'

The younger sibling suddenly frowned. "What's that?"

"What's what?" 18 gave her brother a puzzled look.

"Can't you see it? There's this strange light at the horizon."

"Another stupid joke of yours? I'm not falling for this one little bro." 18 smiled. 'Way to easy.'

17 pointed with his finger in the distance. "No, I'm telling you, there is something. Damn... this is weird."

His eyes narrowed, as he focused his view even more. "I think it's moving, 18. Yes, definitely!" 17 frowned. "Is it moving towards us? ... HOLY shit! That thing is fast!"  
The black haired Android immediately soared in the air to dodge the powerful beam attack.

18's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She cried out in surprise, barely managing to dodge in time. The beam rushed right past her, but the accompanying water waves swallowed her completely.

17 floated above her and bursted out into laughter, as he saw his totally soaked sister hovering near the water surface with a stunned expression. "Hehe, that's just too good. Maybe you should participate in a wet t-shirt contest, before we go after Goku." 17 gave her a thumbs up. "Referee 17 gives you 10 out of 10 points!" The male Android laughed.

18 blushed in embarrassment. "Shut up, idiot!"

"That was Son Goku's Kamehameha wave!" Android 16, who was following behind, exclaimed.

"Are you sure, 16?" 17 asked, recovering from his outburst.

"Affirmative." The prototype growled. "According to my calculations the probability of Son Goku being at Kame House just raised to over 99,6 percent."

18 sneezed, and folded her arms across her chest, to keep herself warm. _'Damn, it's really cold and windy out here. A towel would be handy right now... Unbelievable, I haven't even seen this Goku yet, but he already pisses me off.'_

"Getting sick, sis?" 17 smirked.

"Of your bullshit? For sure!" The blonde sibling countered.

"We should proceed in our quest now." 16 interrupted composed.

* * *

Krillin jumped into a hug with his long-time best friend. "I can't believe it, you're back!" Small tears of happiness ran over his face.

"Hi Krillin, also great to see you again." Goku said delighted, and added "But I have never really been away."

"I am just so glad to see you on your feet again." The bald earthling responded, while wiping his tears away.

Piccolo exited the building and marched to the island's edge, staring into the distance he spoke. "I assume your aware of our status."

Goku's expression turned more serious. "Yes, I could see them.. in my dreams." The powerful saiyajin muttered. "Trunks was right...they are strong, very strong. I probably can't beat them on my current level." Goku stepped beside Piccolo. "But I already have something in mind to change that. I will enter the hyperbolic time chamber to catch up on some training."

The namekian nodded in agreement. " It's at any rate the best we can do for now. Actually, Gohan should be finished with his training within the next few hours."

"Gohan is there? How did he know?" Goku asked dumbfounded, wondering how his son could possibly know of the rooms existence.

Piccolo faced Goku and clapped on his companions shoulder. "You can thank Kami for that." A proud smirk forming on his face, the green fighter explained.  
"The old man didn't fuse with me, before taking additional precautions. Taking Gohan to the Time Chamber was his last deed."

"I see" Goku put his index and middle finger to his forehead to search for any Ki signatures. 'I better get Vegeta and Trunks to join me. We don't know much time we have until the Androids show up here.'

Krillin began to stutter. "G..Guys, I don't want to interrupt your little chat... we got some company!" He gulped loudly, taking some steps backwards, he almost fell over a deckchair.

18 propmtly gazed to the warrior in orange Gi. _'So this is him. The nemesis of the Red Ribbon army. The legendary Son Goku, I heard so much from. He looks quite cocky, seems to be a saiyajin thing though. Vegeta had the exact same attitude, didn't do him any good when he fought me...'_

"Goku! Goku! My old buddy, we finally meet!" 17 hurried to Goku, acting as if he was about to see a long forgotten relative again. He forcefully shook the heroes hand "Where have you been? We were really worried because of you."

Goku nervously frowned. "I don't understa..."

But his sentence broke off when 17 rammed his knee into Goku's stomach. Crying out in pain the saiyajin tried to keep his footing, but went down on one knee. Piccolo, who was standing right next to Goku, reacted fast and delivered a heavy punch right in 17's face, sending him flying.  
The cyborg caught himself easily. "Not bad, You somehow have gotten stronger green man, I leave you that."

Piccolo smirked. "You have no clue."

Krillin trembled in fear. _'Oh no... Shit is getting serious now.'_

Awakened by the Androids assault, Roshi, Tien and Yamcha left the house.

Roshi squealed. "What the heck is happening out here?"

The saiyajin coughed some blood and struggled back up on his feet. "Calm down guys, they want me nothing else." Goku gasped, trying to recover from 17's surprise attack. "They want a fight, they get a fight, you stay out of this and safe." A smile of pure excitement formed on his face.

Piccolo cut eyes with Goku. "No. You won't last more than 2 seconds against all of them. I will join you. The rest of you stays here!" The namekian shouted.

The young hero stared at Piccolo and hesitantly answered. "I can't accept your help, I don't  
want to drag any of you further in, than you are right now."

"Shut your mouth Goku!" The green warrior growled angrily. "I don't trust them, who knows what they do once you're dead. We'll fight together... like in old times"

Goku nodded. "Right."

"Can we please bring this to an end now." 18, who already made herself comfortable on a deckchair, said bored.

"Do you mind if I take them both?" 17 asked with a smug grin on his face.

18 rested her face on one hand and blew a strand of hair out of her view. "Go ahead."

"And you 16? You've been so quiet since we got here." 17 wondered.

Grimly gazing at Goku the giant robot remained silent.

"Well.. that's enough for me I guess. And now to our heroes" 17 scoffed.

"Come at me with everything you got." The black haired Android took a fighting stance.

 _'This arrogant idiot is digging his own grave. I'm not the same fighter, since I fused with_ _Kami. With the help of a fully recovered Goku, I should be able to finish off this bastard in_ _no time...and then it's 2v2. I'm convinced that the big one is the weakest by far, taking_ _him down shouldn't be a problem. And at last even little Barbie will fall victim to our combined_ _effort.'_

"Follow me 17, you get your fight, but not here." Goku commanded.

"As you wish."

* * *

From Kami's Lookout Mr. Popo watched concerned over current events. ' _Piccolo and Goku have to stop the Androids...there is no way to tell what Cell will do once he absorbs one, let alone both of them. Maybe my ancestor's prophecies really prove to be right, and we're close to the end_ _of all things. No! It's not over yet, there's still hope left.'_

Mr Popo marched across the Lookout, entering the main building. Only the sound of his footsteps echoed, when he walked through seemingly endless corridors. He halted in front of a giant door, which had a round clock ticking over it. After taking a look at the clock, Mr. Popo nodded relieved. _'Only one_ _hour left. Gohan will soon be finished with his training. Kami always saw great potential in_ _Goku's boy, he could very likely be the savior our world needs, in these horrendous times.'_

* * *

Goku, Piccolo and the androids landed on a abandoned island not to far from Kame House.

The namekian removed his weighted clothes and sneered. "Let's see how you fare against me this time boy."

18 sat down on a small rock, doing her best to ignore the upcoming trash-talk. She sighed. _'I can't stand this shit.'_ Leaning back she paid more attention to her nails,  
than the interaction right in front of her.

17 stepped forward. "You're forgetful green man, either this, or you've got a serious deathwish."

Piccolo smirked. Clenching his fists, a white aura began to flare around him. With every second powering up his confidence increased, as he felt his incredible power growing further and further.

 _'He's amazing!'_ Goku thought enthusiastically.

The whole ground trembled heavily under super-namekian Piccolo's Power up. Android 17 eyed attentively his opponent. "I don't know what he's trying to pull off, but  
he's at least really good at whirling up dust..."

16's eyes narrowed. "This namekian is not Piccolo!"

"Who is he then?" 17 asked surprised about 16's odd comment, lowering his guard for a split second.

 _'Now!'_ Piccolo used this opening to vanish and then reappear to 17's left. The namekian slammed his elbow in 17's face, who wasn't able to react in time. The attack sent him flying, unable to catch himself 17 smashed into a rock.

17 snorted angrily when he climbed out of the rubble. "You will regret that!" Unfortunately he had to realize that no one paid attention to his epic comeback line, since all eyes focused on Son Goku, who started to Power up. With a powerful shout a flaming, golden aura erupted around the warrior, as he turned into a super-saiyajin. Goku slowly took his fighting stance, his body completely tensed and his mind cleared and prepared for battle.

18 pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, after the transformations shock wave tousled it. She curiously gazed at Goku, examining every inch of his body closely. ' _The hero finally_ _decided to show us what he's made off. So...he is also able to turn blond, like Vegeta and_ _the other boy. But something is different...his presence feels more expressive.'_ An uneasy shudder ran through 18's body. _'Something is wrong with him. I've got to be cautious.'_

Piccolo nodded satisfied when he saw the full extent of the saiyajins power. _'Impressive. He is much stronger than I anticipated, the heart virus was holding him down immensely indeed.'_

* * *

Several thousand miles away Vegeta stood on the edge of a cliff, trying to process his horrible defeat. He successfully ignored his son, who was trying to speak to him for multiple hours.

"Father, we've got to do something! The cyborgs are still roaming free." Trunks exclaimed, trying to get any reaction out of his father. "If we don't act now, it's soon going to be to late" He declared.

"We should train! Anything is better than staring into nothingness at this point!"

Vegeta didn't respond, and remained standing at the same spot in his soaking wet combat suit. Raindrops ran over his face, closing his eyes he quietly turned inward.  
 _'Why? How could that happen? A super-saiyajin fallen to a mere...trash can. I'm the prince_ _of all saiyajin, I can't live with this disgrace. First outshined by a low-class fool and_  
 _now beaten by a synthetic chick! No! NO!'_ Vegeta silently seethed, being close to going ballistic. _'I claimed to be the greatest fighter of all time. Have I really reached my limits? No! This has to be a nightmare!'_

"Father! Can you feel that KI!" Trunks shouted, taking Vegeta out of his thoughts.

"Piccolo is preparing to fight, no way he would power up that much without a good reason." The lavender haired fighter explained. "We must help him!"

Vegeta completely lost it, moving for the first time since hours, he turned around to face his son. "You're a pathetic weakling!" The prince snapped. "What difference could WE possibly make?! All you're going to achieve is making an even bigger fool out of yourself! Where is your pride?"

Trunks stammered "But...father.." Extremely surprised by this sudden outbreak of the proud prince. That was the last thing he expected to hear.  
He finally gathered himself and furiously responded. "I'm here to safe at least one timeline. All I want is a future without fear and pain, you can't imagine how it is to live under these demons! I always thought that you were such a great warrior, but all I can see is an old, frustrated  
coward!" Trunks took off, heading in the direction he felt the Ki signature coming from, without losing any more words.

Vegeta groaned loudly. "This idiot will get demolished." The warrior tried to process his sons insults and calmed himself down, but was abruptly interrupted when he felt an other strong energy. _'What? I'm sensing a new energy... Am I sensing Kakarot? Impossible!_  
 _His Ki is amazingly powerful! Is he going to fight them too? Damn... I need to see this.'_ Vegeta instantly took off, and also headed towards the battlefield.

* * *

 **Power Levels:**

* * *

 **Android 16: 350,000,000**

 **Android 17: 305,000,000**

 **Android 18: 297,000,000**

 **Piccolo: ?**

 **Trunks SSJ: 180,000,000**

 **Vegeta SSJ: 210,000,000**

 **Goku SSJ: ?**

 **Gohan: ?**

* * *

 **Reviews:  
**

* * *

 **Hanamaki** : Thanks. Appreciate it! Stay tuned, I've a ton of interesting ideas for this one. It's certainly going to entertain/surprise you.

 **Guest:** 17/18 didn't even make an appearance in my prologue.

 **darrius212:** This story basically integrates Toriyama's idea of 12 universes much earlier in the story, leading to new villains, interactions, plot developments. The characters introduced in my prologue will play an antagonistic role at a later /18's relationship is also going to be a main part of this story, since they're pretty much my favourite characters, and I always wanted themto pair up. As for updates, I'll take my time. English isn't my first language, so writing naturally takes longer, plus stressful rl stuff happening right now.


	3. Showdown

**Chapter 2: Showdown**

* * *

' _He will lead me right to them.'_ Cell snickered.

Wrapping his tail around his victim's throat, he began to pull the young girl closer to him. The lizard-like creature lifted her from the ground, slowly increasing the pressure he put on her. As he faced her he looked into wide opened, innocent eyes, that reflected pure horror and fear. She struggled with all her strength in  
a desperate attempt to break free. Gasping for air her legs twitched, being very close to passing out.

Cell softly hissed "Shhhh." While placing his index finger on the girl's lips. Caressing her cheeks he whispered. "Don't worry, everything is fine. I'll take care of you."  
Empty, bloodlined eyes stared at him, causing Cell to grin. _'I missed it so much. I absorbed so many of these worms that I almost forgot how it feels to settle things the old-fashioned way.'_

"Goodbye" The creature charged some energy in his right hand, before blasting a whole straight through her chest. The lifeless body crashed through the office buildings window, leaving a satisfied Cell behind.

 _'My power...it's unreal.'_ Cell deeply exhaled, looking down on himself he relaxed for a moment, and embraced the energy that was running through his body.  
 _'I'm unstoppable. I don't even need 17 and 18, I'm the strongest in the Universe either way.'_ Walking towards the broken window Cell savored the moment to its fullest. _'Piccolo failed._ _It's over. My patience finally pays off. I'm not in a hurry, this trip is going to be my_ _personal victory parade.'_

Gero's ultimate creation descended from the window, landing on the empty streets of South City. _'What's this? I can sense Goku's energy too. This_ _is shaping up to be even better than I thought. Couldn't hope for a more suitable person_ _to witness me attaining perfection.'_ Turning east Cell took off again. ' _They are not that_  
 _far away, somewhere behind Papaya Island as far as I can say now.'_ Cell's eyes glowed in anticipation as he laughed maniacally.

* * *

Back at Kame House earth's warriors were still apprehensive. Krillin and Yamcha sat at table outside, while Tien nervously walked in circles.

"Come on guys, it can't be that bad." Yamcha said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Krillin shook his head. "I try to convince myself with that, but realistically..." He lowered his head. "You haven't seen them in action... it was horrible... not even a contest."

Tien halted for a second. "What just happened to us. 24/7 training and nonetheless useless. Being left behind like a helpless child, that's the worst for me."

"I'm quite happy to stay here, to be honest." Yamcha admitted. "What do you think Krillin?"

The bald fighter lifted his shoulders in a shrug "I'm out. Not really interested in fighting them. Maybe It's time to retire, get a girlfriend and leave the fighting to the saiyajins." His thoughts wandering to a certain blonde cyborg as he spoke.

The ex-bandit gave him a soft smile. "I feel you."

 _'She is so beautiful.. I can't belief that she was build by this Gero scientist guy._ _What have I done wrong in my past life to deserve this?'_ Krillin rested his chin in his palm  
and sighed. "Krillin!" Krillin looked up and saw master Roshi waving at him from the window. "What?" The former monk asked.

"Bulma is on the phone, she wants to speak to you. Seems to be important"

"Alright." Krillin left the table and rushed to Roshi, taking the phone which the Turtle Hermit handed to him he spoke. "Hi, Krillin here."

"Hey, how are you guys holding up down there?" Bulma asked excitedly, the tone of her voice indicating that she urgently wanted to get something off her chest.

He Paused for a second before answering. "Not too good...We're in huge trouble, I'd say."

"What do you mean?" Surprised by Krillins words serious concern, overshadowing her initial excitement, grew in her voice. She whispered deeply worried. "Please...please tell me that he is ok."

"Yes, He is fine. More than fine..." the bald fighter muttered.

Bulma had enough. "What the hell Krillin?" She snapped confused. "Just tell me already! What happened?"

"Ok, where do I start?" He began. "Goku was able to fully recover. Turned out that Trunk's antidote really did it's job... Anyways. In short: we discussed about how to handle the situation, but then the androids showed up from nowhere all of a sudden and challenged Goku to a fight. Goku accepted, but didn't want anyone else to get involved. Piccolo disagreed and both of them and the Androids went off in the end, leaving us behind."

"I see." Bulma said thoughtfully.

"Chi-Chi is at Capsule Corp. right? She went through a lot, I think it's best if you tell her that Goku feels better, but don't mention that he is getting himself in danger again."

"I'll do that." Bulma agreed. "Chi-Chi hadn't been the same person, since she got here. It's terrible to see her being so sad."

"Oh man...it's starting" Krillin almost dropped the phone, when he felt immense shock waves approaching. Earth's warriors froze in awe as they felt Piccolo powering up. _'Come on guys you can do it, we're counting on you!'_ Krillin hoped, suppressing his powerless feelings.

"That's not good." Bulma mumbled. "We need to act fast. Krillin, I called because I was able to interpret some parts of Gero's blueprints. That guy was pretty sick... but you can't deny his competence. I've never seen anyone else before, who had so advanced records in robotics. It appears that 17 and 18 are completely human based cyborgs in fact."

Agitated by Bulma's findings Krillin couldn't help but interrupt her. "You mean they are like real...and all?" Instantly regretting his awkward remark, Krillin touched his forehead in shame and closed his eyes momentarily. _'Oh, damn.'_

"Hm.. Odd question. But yes, they are exactly like us.. with the exception of their cybernetic implants, that provide them with a nearly infinite energy source and superior strength enhancements."

Krillin's heart jumped. He tried his hardest to sound indifferent. "Nice... I mean nice that you found out about all of this.. I guess."

"Ehm. Sure." At the other side of the telephone line Bulma could only shake her head. _'He is behaving really weird today.'_ "Another thing, I'm close to finishing a shut down device for 17 and 18. We'll safe a ton of time, if you pick it up here. This way we can potentially stop them,  
even if they defeat Goku and Piccolo... Let's hope, it won't come down to that."

"Deactivating...them?"

"Yes... Krillin? ... Krillin! Are you all right?"

He stuttered. " . Of course... I'm on my way!"

Krillin hang up the phone. Walking back to the others, he declared. "Guys, I've some good news. Bulma created some kind of device to deactivate these cyborgs. I'll be heading to Capsule Corp. to pick it up."

"Great! You better hurry up" Yamcha insisted. "It'll soon be getting ugly here."

* * *

Trunks flew as fast as he could. _'C'mon Goku, if someone out there can make a difference,_ _you're the one. Everything is leading up to this fight, The circle finally closes.._  
 _Three years ago in this timeline, when I met you for the first time, I could tell that_ _you were incredible at fist_ _sight. Gohan and mum told me a lot about you, but despite my high expectations you managed_ _to exceed them by far, and impress me. Never has anyone blocked my attacks so effortless, with the exception of_ _them Androids themselves._

 _You actually managed to give me new hope. After Gohan died, I_ _used every free second I had, to train. I pushed myself as hard as I could, picturing_ _how I would not only defeat but humiliate, and slaughter them, every night when I was lying in bed_ _sleepless. Blinded by my rage I fought them again, three_ _years later. I really thought that I was strong enough, that I gained enough power to end_ _it. God was I wrong... My survival was a coincidence.. nothing more. I almost gave up on_ _everything.. I was close to accepting the thought, that I'd never get the chance to live a_ _normal life... That something like fate existed and hindered us from crawling out of our misery._ _Goku, you managed to inspire me, proving me that limits don't exist. You dragged me out of my emotional hole, and I'm very grateful for that. It's time I return the favor, and give you something back. Today is the day.._ _Today is the day, we will change the future. Side by side.'_

Trunks felt Vegeta's presence following him behind. He lowered his speed to let his father catch up. "Glad to see, that you changed you mind."

The proud prince pulled beside Trunks, arms crossed he blankly stared into space. "Just, shut up boy."

Much to Vegeta's annoyance Trunks simply laughed it off, being amused about his fathers typical manners.

* * *

Not much was left of 17's cocky smile, when he was about to fight his opponents. _'I have_ _to keep my guard up. That green freak's punch was strong, and there is still a question_ _mark over Son Goku's strength.'_ 17 took a defensive stance.

Goku and Piccolo's eyes met, responding with a slight nod the saiyajin led their assault against 17. Goku charged full speed towards him, throwing a punch aimed to the cyborg's head, 17 skillfully sidestepped and used Goku's momentum to his advantage. Grabbing his arm, he pulled the saiyajin, increasing the effect of his own knee strike at Goku's gut. The warrior bounced off, crying out in pain he slid over the ground.

17 raised his arm to follow up wit a Ki-blast, but missed his target, as Piccolo reappeared behind and knocked him face first to the ground. The namekian stomped down, only hitting dust, as 17 made a 180 degrees side role. Lying on his back he fired a blast at point blank range, throwing Piccolo off his feet.

Getting back up, 17 sneered. "What a let-down! Is that everything you've got?" Whirling around he scanned the area in search of Goku. _'Damn... I've lost track of him!'_

Alarmed by some strange sounds, 17 looked upwards, and saw Goku who began to fire a barrage of blasts at him. Easily dodging every single attack the Cyborg wondered. _'Man... his aim with these is terrible Does he really think, that he'll hit me like that.'_

Goku's onslaught came to an abrupt end, and although 17 wasn't hit, he was swallowed by a giant cloud of dust, which was created by the blasts that made impact with the ground. 17 had to cough. _'So that was the plan all along... I can't simply fly out of it, he probably_ _expects me to do so, and is prepared to strike when I emerge.'_

Before 17 could decide on how he wants to handle the situation, Piccolo trapped him in a full Nelson from behind. "Let go of me!" 17 gasped, trying to escape the hold. "Relying on cheap tricks, is that all you can?"

"Goku, where are you? I can't hold him forever." Piccolo growled, struggling to maintain his grip. The cloud of dust slowly cleared, and the super-Saiyajin quickly descended to deliver a final blow.

18 was on the verge of stepping in. Seeing her brother in trouble like that, made her uneasy. _'I hope you have a plan bro.. I'm not just gonna stand here,_  
 _and let yourself getting killed.'_

Goku charged some energy, giving 17 a stern look he raised his glowing hand and pointed it at the cyborgs head. "I'm sorry. I really am. I hate doing this, but you leave us with no other choice." _'This should be enough to put him out of action...No need to kill him.'_

"HAA!" 17 screamed. Energy thrusted out of his body, blowing both Z-fighters off him. "Luckily, I have some tricks up my sleeve as well." He taunted, as the blue barrier surrounding him faded out.

"Time to put you two in your place." 17 flew at Goku, intending to hit the saiyajins face the cyborg struck hard. Using his forearm Goku blocked 17's frontal punch.

Groaning, his bones trembled under the enormous pressure. 17's surprise was written large in his face. _'impossible!'_ He expected to land a fatal blow and was unprepared for a counterattack. Goku's fist shot up and collided with 17's chin, sending him flying upwards. Piccolo anticipated Goku's move and bursted up in the air to greet 17 with another attack. Smashing his elbow in 17's back, the young man went crashing down again. Crying out in pain, anger began to boil  
up in 17.

Spinning around mid air, he was able to land on his feet. "That's it! I had enough of you! HA!" The black haired cyborg unleashed a series of blast attacks directed  
at Goku, who was charging towards him rapidly. Avoiding the first few attacks Goku closed the gap between him and 17. Covering his body, he crossed his arms in front of himself and broke straight through 17's final blast.

Goku smashed shoulder first into the male Android. Swearing, 17 stumbled backwards, trying to regain his balance. Still a little dizzy, he looked  
up and saw Goku directly in front of him performing a Roundhouse Kick.

"I've got you now, bastard!" The Cyborg exclaimed. 17 managed to fire a beam at Goku's chest, right before the kick was supposed to hit it's target. Laughing out loud he watched the saiyajin crashing into a rock.

"Nice try! Too slow though." Suddenly 17 felt like he was struck by lightning. "Fuck! Where is this green guy!" Turning in the direction, where he saw him moments ago, 17's eyes widened in shock. Piccolo was still in the air, but fired his special beam cannon, while 17 was occupied with fighting Goku.  
For 17, everything seemed to happen in slow motion as thousand things leaped in his mind. _'Shit! It's over. I underestimated them. I can't dodge in time. Sorry sis. I fucked up._ _16 and you have to finish them. Goodbye.'_

One instant later 18 appeared in front of her brother. Extending both arms horizontally, she created a purple shield to block Piccolo's attack off. There was a massive explosion, the shockwaves were clearly noticeable even miles away at Kame House. Piccolo moaned, raising one arm to protect his eyes from the bright light that blinded him. "That's not supposed to happen...damn something must have gone wrong!" The namekian growled.

After the explosion settled, he gazed down and much to his annoyance, he had to realize that 17 was still intact. _'Unbelievable! That has to be a joke... She ate my special beam cannon_ _like it was nothing. One second more and I would have blasted this boy into oblivion.'_

Small stones rained down on the siblings. 18 shrugged down some dust, facing her brother she smirked. "Your big sister has to safe you from these big, evil bullies, it seems?" After being nearly killed, 17 couldn't keep up his coolness, and his tough attitude began to crumble. "Thanks sis... close call."

"Hey, we should take them down together. What do you say?" 18 suggested.

"Let's do this." The younger sibling said determined.

Goku tossed stone fragments aside, as he climbed out of the rock 17 blasted him into. Rotating his shoulders he gazed at the Cyborgs. _'Great attack Piccolo. We Could've had him,_ _if it wasn't for the girl stepping in... Looks like she wants to fight also..._ _well... this is getting brutal, but we still got a shot, I guess.'_

With a combat cry 17 went after Piccolo. "One on One, you disgusting freak! No more tricks! No one to back you up!" Goku watched 17 and Piccolo trading blows before his attention shifted to 18.

She gave him a cold smile. "Ready?"

The super-saiyajin responded by powering up briefly, taking his fighting stance again, he focused on her movements. She was fast, too fast. Startled by her speed Goku shot a blast in her direction to slow her down. Unimpressed, she deflected it and slammed her knee in Goku's gut, as she reached him. Bending over he cried out. Unimaginable pain streaming through his body, Goku gasped heavily.

Holding the position, 18 chuckled. "That's funny. I put a little more power in this one, but Vegeta's reaction to the very same move was actually quite similar."  
Folding both her hands together she swang down on Goku, trying to hit his back. Goku suppressed his pain and delivered a fast jab to 18's stomach, pushing her back and causing her attack to miss.

Now, he was the one going on the offensive. Charging at her they collided in a furious hand-to-hand fight. Goku held on for a couple of minutes, and even landed some good hits initially, but it didn't take him long to recognize that he was completely outmatched. Breathing hard he did his best to withstand 18's  
highly aggressive onslaught. _'Damn, I can't keep this up. She is wearing me down._ _I can barely dodge her attacks.'_

Gradually the fight began to escalate. Goku was fully on the back foot, he wasn't fighting, rather avoiding 18.

"What's the matter? Getting tired?" She scoffed, hitting Goku's jaw once more.

Making a decision Goku blasted off the island full speed, to buy some time. _'I can't win like this... there has to be a way to beat her, but something tells me that hitting_  
 _a brick wall over and over again won't cut it... I've to come up with something fast._ He dropped some sweat. _'She'll tear me apart otherwise. I'm drained.'_

* * *

 _'He's running...pathetic.'_ 18 took off, chasing down Goku.

Android 16 was quietly observing from the sidelines. Everything went according his calculations, Goku was absolutely done for, and Piccolo did better, but would fall  
just as the saiyajin eventually. The giant Android considered following Goku for a second, killing him was his main purpose after all, but something appeared in the outer corner of his eyes. Turning his head, he spotted a creature. Long, slim arms, a tail, glowing, slit eyes. Android 16 switched his priorities, Goku had to wait, this dreadful deformity was far more worrisome. Furthermore he was positive that there was no chance of Goku winning over 18.

Piccolo's mouth gaped in disbelief. "It's Cell!" A cold shiver ran down his spine.

"You kinda let yourself wide open, you know that?" 17 said, wondering why the namekian stopped paying attention to him.

"You must get out of here! Immediately! He intends to absorb you and your sister." Piccolo explained.

"This guy?" 17 laughed, pointing with a finger at Cell. "He looks like he escaped from a zoo, if you ask me."

"I'm serious. Don't be a fool!" The namekian warned.

Cell gazed at the male Cyborg. "We finally meet. Are you ready to join me, become a part of me 17? You should feel honored..."

He powered up, his aura containing the lost spirits and souls of victims, flared up. "You see that 17?" The beast asked, laughing psychopathically. "Can you hear their voices? They call for you. You would certainly make a great addition, don't you think?"

"What...what are you?" 17 stuttered, horrified by the anguished cries.

* * *

 _'Just as I thought, seems like she's not willing to give me any breathing room whatsoever.'_

Unfortunately for Goku, the blonde wasn't in the mood to go easy on him. Catching up swiftly, she charged some energy in her hand to blast him from the sky. Much to her surprise, Goku stopped his flight when she was about to fire.

Both of them hovered above a different island, not far from previous one. Still breathing heavily, Goku turned around to look at her.

18 raised an eyebrow, lowering her arm, the glowing energy ball in her hand disappeared. "Giving up? I'm a little disappointed to be honest. Didn't expect you to run, after all the heroic stuff I heard. I almost pity you." She chuckled. "Emphasis on almost."

Goku smiled wearily. "I didn't run. You haven't won yet. All I needed was some time to recover and think of how to beat you."

Tilting her head she examined Goku. "That's the part where I should get concerned. Right?" 18 replied sarcastically. It was obvious to her that the saiyajin bluffed, she could tell when someone was done, and Goku was as close to done as it gets in her book. No way. His condition was bad, he couldn't possibly put up any serious resistance.

"Shall we continue? But please don't run away this time..." She sneered.

"Goku!"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Trunks and Vegeta approaching.

18 confidently pressed one hand on her hip. "The cavalry has arrived at last, I see. It's Vegeta and his plus one again."

"Shit! Are you OK Goku?" Trunks view went from the super-saiyajin to Android 18 and back. Just by looking he figured out that they fought, with Goku getting the worst of it. Countless bruises and wounds were visible on his body, unlike 18 who was is rather good condition. Her clothes were torn, but with the exception of rare bruises, she was unharmed.

"Back for more Vegeta?" The blonde cyborg blinked flirtatiously, trying to provoke the prince.

Vegeta growled angrily, gritting his teeth he was about to say something, but Trunks beat him to it. "You are going down today. We will put you down once and for all witch! You hear me?" Trunks said determined, his voice filled with hatred.

18 sighed. "My, my... such harsh words. I don't even know who you are. But as it stands, your nothing more than an irrelevant, insolent brat to me. I'm getting bored of you losers, can we please fight already?"

Motivated by his rage, Trunks powered up and turned super-saiyajin. "Ready Goku?" He said, having a hard time holding himself back for any longer.

"No." Goku answered. "I want to finish this fight alone."

Trunks blurted out. "Are you crazy? You're injured, you can't fight her all by yourself."

Darting a glance at Goku he realized something. He was astonished of how much they resemble one another. Goku and his long deceased master Gohan. Taken back to the time when Gohan used to tell him to back off and not fight the Androids, in his childhood, Trunks nodded respectfully.

 _'I'm almost out of options... but I will give my best anyway. Here we go!'_

All of a sudden Goku winced, 18 not being the reason behind it. _'This new power signature..._ _has to be Cell. He is very close.'_ He turned to Trunks, who was equally shocked.

"That changes everything. We have to stop him before he gets one of the Androids."

Trunks was stunned. "Are you sure it's him? Last time I checked he was stong... but now... he is completely off the charts."

"It's him" Goku confirmed bitterly. Facing 18 hesitantly, he spoke. "Android 18, listen to me carefully now. You, your brother, and the whole planet are in danger. Dr. Gero designed not only you, 16 and 17, but also another Android, called Cell. He strives to absorb you and your brother to gain even more strength. We can't stop him, if he achieves his goal... we have to get your brother out of there immediately. So, my question for you is: Are you in? We can't afford to lose more time. I hope I can count on you."

"Are you nuts!" Trunks snapped outraged. "she is not to be trusted!"

Considering for a moment her gaze circled around the group. She had do admit, their reactions were spot on authentic, but something inside her, held her back in accepting Goku's proposition. She had a bad feeling about the saiyajin since she first met him, why should she trust him?

"I don't believe you."

"I have feared, you would say that." Goku tried to open up as much as he could. They were on a timer now, he had to persuade her, no matter what. "Please trust me. I have no bad intentions towards you and your brother. You don't have to like me, but if you don't do this for me, or this planet, then please for your brothers well-being."

18 shook her head. "No. I won't let you mess with my mind. We'll finish what we've started, unless you want to deliver speeches all day."

Having no alternative Goku prepared to fight again. He resigned the idea of allying, there was no chance to convince her, she was simply too stubborn and prejudiced. ' _It's no use to fight her conventionally. She will always come out on top if the battle_ _drags on. I can only win if I hit with an all-out attack. Sorry King Kai, you advised against it,_  
 _but it's not like I have a different choice. I will use the Kaioken while being super-saiyajin._ _This may kill me, but it's my only option to push beyond my limits, and rival her power.'_

"Kaioken!" Goku's aura exploded outward, his power rising rapidly. He cried out loudly, red lightning erupted from his body, mixing up with the golden super-saiyajin glow. All persons present were shocked by the massive aura, flaring aggressively. Pushing further, and further Goku's powerful shout transitioned into a scream of pain. His veins bulged out, his entire body shaking savagely, he felt like he was burned alive.

18's eyes widened. "What is this maniac doing? He is fucking insane!" slightly intimidated at the sight, she put her defence up.

"Where is he drawing all this energy from. His power is incredible!" Trunks marveled.

Concentrating everything he had within himself, he flew at 18, launching a fist. The female Android brought her elbow up, slamming it against Goku's punch. He felt her bones giving in, pushing through, a cracking noise was audible. 18 shrieked out in pain, for the first time ever undergoing serious physical harm. Proceeding merciless Goku kicked her, and she went flying upwards. Overwhelmed and unable do recover, she was powerless as Goku appeared above and redirected her down again.

"She is crashing down on us! What is Goku doing?" Trunks exclaimed, giving his father a puzzled look.

Sensing Vegeta's and Trunks' energy, Goku used his instant transmission technique to appear right between both of them. "Kamehameha!" He unleashed his most powerful attack to date at Android 18, putting in his final reserves.

Vegeta and Trunks threw their arms up simultaneously, covering themselves from the gigantic shockwaves, which threatened to blow them off.

"Damn Kakarot!" The prince hissed, impressed by Goku's performance.

"She is done!" Trunks celebrated euphorically.

The energy wave connected, and despite Trunk's contempt for 18, he also cringed at her obtrusive death cries, echoing in his ears. There was a huge explosion ultimately, and then complete stillness. Glancing at the resultant smoke cloud Trunks bid farewell in his own way. _'One worry less. It was high time, at long last you got what you deserved...'_

"Great job Goku. We're a step closer to peace. Goku?" Looking around he discovered him floating beneath, reverted in his base form, Goku had trouble staying in air.

"Are you Ok?" Trunks asked.

"I've been better... feel like I've been run over by a train. Don't expect me to be of any use against Cell. You guys have to take him on without me." Gasping, Goku forced himself to a small smile.

Trunks laughed relieved. "Hey. Wait a sec, I'll give you a hand." Before heading to Goku, the boy cut eyes at his father, and what he saw deeply concerned him. Vegeta stared at something, seemingly shaken. _'No! Don't tell me that... It can't be!'_

Abruptly twirling to his left, Trunks identified the reason behind Vegeta's reaction. His blood ran cold at the terrible sight, greeting him. "S-She is still alive!"  
18 hovered, her broken arm hanging down motionless to her side. Her clothes were torn to shreds. Tears ran down her blood covered face. Shivering she raised her functional arm, wiping some blood out of her view.

"Y-You..I will.." 18's voice cracked as she stammered. "I..I will make you pay.. I'm going to fucking KILL YOU!" She screamed furiously.

The blonde cyborg fired a blast at Goku. Without having a chance of dodging in this condition, he was hit directly.

"NO! Burning attack!" On impulse Trunks unleashed his attack and hit likewise. The energy ball connected hard and carried Android 18 along some distance, sliding off, she fell down crashing into a rock, evading the devastating detonation that followed.

"Goku! Goku!" Trunks raced down, every inch he got closer, it became more obvious to him.

"He is dead... His energy vanished" Vegeta stated, grieving inwardly.

The young super-saiyajin stepped to the crater, expressing his thoughts openly. "Your death will not be in vain. We'll take care of Cell and the rest... and  
bring you back as soon we're finished. Thanks a lot... for everything"

"Feeling better?" Vegeta teased.

"Yes... One demon down... Cell is next."

* * *

 **Power Levels:**

* * *

 **Piccolo: 302,000,000**

 **Android 17: 302,000,000**

 **Android 18: 297,000,000**

 **Trunks SSJ: 180,000,000**

 **Vegeta SSJ: 210,000,000**

 **Goku SSJ: 265,000,000**

 **Goku SSJ (far beyond limits): 335,000,000**

 **Android 18 (severely injured): 12,000,000**

 **Imperfect Cell: ?**

 **Gohan: ?**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

* * *

 **Hanamaki:** Yeah, me neither. I have multiple scenarios planned, but not decided in which direction I want to go with her. I try my best to not "cheap-shot" her to hard. You'll see.

 **xxxbluewolf:** Agreed there are a ton of Gohan/18, Trunks/18 stories out there. This pairing is quite exotic and not easy to pull off. Hope you keep following.

 **Manwe0035:** Thanks, always appreciated. **  
**


	4. IMPORTANT UPDATE

Status:

* * *

I've received a lot of messages concerning the status of this story. Don't worry I won't abandon it. I've currently a lot of things on my plate (examination stress in University etc.) Expect the next Chapter Update between April 1. and April 30.

* * *

Also:

* * *

\- Some spelling mistakes in Prologue, Chapter 1/2. have been corrected.

\- New story cover added.

\- In the meantime I'm opening a poll. You can now vote for your favorite characters. characters with the most votes are more likely to survive Cyborg/Cell Arc. and play part in the upcoming Empire/Keira Arc. (Exceptions are Goku and 18. I already decided on the major plot points in regards of the main cast.) You can choose three Characters. Please try to select at least one of each Tier. You can access the poll via my profile. Deadline is April 30.

I wish you a good time until then!

* * *

Update 2: Poll is closed and the results will be one of a few factors by which I decide on how to handle certain characters in the upcoming Arc. Furthermore I have to put the story on ice for now. The next update will come unannounced.


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